ASTS A few spots remain for the Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy workshop being held in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati March 24-25. The two-day course will feature a live surgery viewing, a hands-on cadaver lab, and talks from pioneers of the laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. READ MORE

ASTS ASTS member dues were due Dec. 31, 2016. You must be current on your dues to register for ATC at the member rate. If you have not received your dues invoice or need assistance, please email asts@asts.org or call the National Office at 703-414-7870.READ MORE

ASTS ASTS will hold its second Advanced Leadership Development Program (ALDP) Sept. 24-27, 2017. Designed as the next stage of the popular ASTS Leadership Development Program (LDP), the ALDP builds upon key transplant business leadership lessons learned in the LDP. Registration will be limited, so reserve your spot early by emailing laurie.kulikosky@asts.org.

Clinical Transplantation (login required)Poor renal function is associated with higher mortality after liver transplantation. Our aim was to understand the impact of kidney graft quality according to kidney donor profile index score on survival after simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation. Using United Network of Organ Sharing data from 2002-2013 for adult deceased donor SLK recipients, we compared survival and renal graft outcomes according to KDPI.
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COLLABORATIVE through a SHARED VISIONWe are collaborating with the transplant community to improve the health of transplant patients through • Innovative approaches and partnerships in data generation • Working to improve long-term graft and patient survival
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American Journal of Transplantation (login required)Regulatory T cell (Treg) therapy using recipient-derived Tregs expanded ex vivo is currently being investigated clinically by us and others as a means of reducing allograft rejection following organ transplantation. Data from animal models has demonstrated that adoptive transfer of allospecific Tregs offers greater protection from graft rejection compared to polyclonal Tregs. Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are clinically translatable synthetic fusion proteins that can redirect the specificity of T cells toward designated antigens. We used CAR technology to redirect human polyclonal Tregs toward donor-MHC class I molecules, which are ubiquitously expressed in allografts.READ MORE

Reuters Kidney transplant candidates who live in ZIP codes with more non-English speakers are less likely to make it onto the U.S. active waiting list, according to a recent study.
Those with linguistic barriers — especially in Hispanic and Asian households — also wait longer for a transplant evaluation or never complete one at all.
"The problem likely extends further than merely language. Cultural and educational barriers likely also play a role," said senior study author Edmund Huang of the Kidney Transplant Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.READ MORE

Liver Transplantation (login required)Incidental small pancreatic cystic lesions are often found on preoperative imaging in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation. Although these are considered benign or of low malignant potential, the influence of immunosuppression after OLT may be of concern. The aim of this study was to observe the longterm outcome of these small PCLs in post-OLT patients. An institutional OLT database of 1778 consecutive OLT patients from January 2000 to December 2010 was analyzed.
Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or endoscopic ultrasound at the time of OLT and all subsequent imaging, cytology, fluid analysis of PCLs, and patient status were evaluated. READ MORE

Medscape (free login required)Patients with end-stage liver disease are subject to muscle wasting, malnutrition, and functional decline. These extrahepatic manifestations, which contribute to excess waiting list and post-transplant mortality, are not quantified by the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score. However, these features have recently been captured as proposed frailty measures. For example, one study suggested that a 5-item frailty index could predict mortality, independent of the MELD score, in adults with liver disease who were listed for liver transplantation.READ MORE

HealthDay via Renal & Urology News (login required)Renal transplant recipients (RTRs) are often admitted with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
Sahil Agrawal, MD, from St. Luke's University Health Network in Bethlehem, Penn, and colleagues examined recent trends in AMI admissions for 9243 RTRs with functioning grafts. Data were compared to those of 160,932 patients with end-stage renal disease without transplantation (ESRD-NRT) and 5,640,851 patients without advanced kidney disease (non-ESRD/RT) admitted with AMI.READ MORE

By Lynn Hetzler Kidney transplant recipients re-entering hemodialysis (HD) with a failing allograft are frequently more anemic than are patients just starting HD. Chronic rejection can lead to a more anemic, catabolic and inflammatory state in patients re-entering hemodialysis. In a new study, Japanese researchers hoped to clarify how focusing on the control of anemia with the use of erythropoiesis stimulating agents can help transplant recipients re-enter dialysis safely.READ MORE

Medscape (free login required)Four-year follow-up data from one of the largest single-institution datasets in the United States show that the Model of Recurrence After Liver Transplant score for hepatocellular carcinoma is highly predictive of recurrence-free survival and can accurately identify patients who should not undergo liver transplant with a living donor.
The simple test, which measures neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, alpha-fetoprotein level, and tumor size, was superior to the Milan criteria — the decades-old gold standard for assessing recurrence risk and transplant eligibility, says a research team led by Karim J. Halazun, M.D., of the Division of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City.READ MORE

Atlanta Business Chronicle The transplant was the first of its kind in Georgia. It was possible because of the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, which took effect in 2015 and authorizes clinical research and revision of rules about organ donation and transportation as a result of that research. Previously, the use of HIV-positive organs was a federal crime.
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